Sugata Mitra
The wizard of self-organized learning, this education guru made waves by putting computers in walls and watching the magic happen.
Read nowFor teachers ready to stop pretending everything is okay, here's where you can learn what to do about it.
The wizard of self-organized learning, this education guru made waves by putting computers in walls and watching the magic happen.
Read nowThe documentary that's giving the education world a Hollywood-style wake-up call!
Read nowA witty Brit who had a knack for making people rethink everything they thought they knew about learning.
Read nowBased on our decade of work with awesome educators and schools who are reinventing teaching and learning, we have recognized these new found truths and defining qualities of modern education.
At some point, people started thinking about “fixing schools” and schools became the focus of attention. School funding was tied to their attendance rate, School rankings was a product of their test scores, and School statistics was the measure of a school’s success. Modern education goes back to asking “Why does school exist?”. It focuses on the learner, and their need for community, for belonging, and for purpose. With those 3 basic human needs met, the kids can pretty much teach themselves.
Modern education gives teachers permission to ditch those lesson plans and, instead, focus on the curricular learning objectives by co-creating them with students. This shift promotes a more personalized and relevant learning experience, empowering students to take ownership of their education. Teachers act as facilitators, guiding learners in developing skills and knowledge tailored to their interests and needs, making education more dynamic, collaborative, and student-centered.
Teachers no longer need to play the role of subject matter experts or the all-knowing adult. Students want to find the answers themselves, using all the resources available in today's world. And they want to show their learning in ways most adults would never think of. Instead, the role of teachers is to ask questions, get students thinking in multiple perspectives, and find ways to sponsor students as they explore and showcase their learning.
Many adults know the frustration of having meaningless tasks forced upon us, leading to a lack of interest and motivation. Sadly, traditional education does the same to students. Modern education emphasizes long, purposeful projects grounded in reality and community. These projects, created by students who choose how to showcase their learning, replace busy work and align with what students naturally want to do. This shift transforms education into a more engaging and meaningful experience.
There was a time when work meant focusing on a single task and skill, with rewards for efficiency. Today, work and life demand broad skill sets and the ability to dive deep when needed. We must understand multiple perspectives, subject areas, and be collaborative. Modern education reflects this by integrating subjects into learning, with projects that require a range of skills, allowing students to explore and learn multiple areas together.
Everyone knows the frustration of being in a state of flow, deeply focused, and then being rudely interrupted. Traditional education imposes this disruption on teachers and students multiple times a day. However, modern education recognizes this issue and shifts from rigid time blocks to flexible schedules. This change allows for deeper engagement, creativity, and productivity, fostering a more natural and effective learning environment.
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